Demo Part 2: A Little Help From Our Friends

Author’s Note: after similar feedback from Em, Ben, and Jason Tefft regarding the last blog post I promise not to mention pxxp at all this time.

Saturday
So…Saturday and Sunday were big days at the school house. Ben and I were there bright and early (which means like 10:30 am when you have a sick toddler). Our friends Matt and Chrissy came by (we told Matt there was chainsaw work to be done). They cut down the remaining brush and challenged one very stubborn stump. Gramp and Luke Tefft were next on the scene and then it was time to tackle the drop ceiling.

Matt pitching in

Ben and Luke did prep for demo of the interior walls by taking down all the moldings, shelves and so forth. These walls were all disintegrating and covered in “press board” and had no insulation. We will insulate and redo all the interior walls.

Neighbor Shirley Dewey and friend Kay Yurshak stopped by to check out the project and voice their support. The rest of the weekend brought similar visits from the rest of the ‘hood. For me it was wonderful to meet new people, and Gramp reconnected with community friends. So far everyone has had such positive things to say about the work we are doing. We’re excited to continue to share the journey!

Sunday and Monday
Jesse Tefft joined the team along with Gramp, Luke, and myself. And the walls came down! Gramp also took down a lot of the partitions in the addition. I should explain that the main school house was one big room and there were two doors that led to a later addition. Each door led to a hallway, a storage closet, and a bathroom. We are assuming these were a little girls and little boys room (here’s where I could start talking about septic tanks and so forth but I’ll refrain)! Monday was cold and rainy and Gramp and I finished the demo in the addition and did a final clean up.

Jesse Tefft taking down some walls

during and after bathroom demo

That’s a Wrap
We want to give a shout out here to family and friends who showed up, rolled up their sleeves, and got right to work! Especially Luke Tefft, who has proven quite fearless, and with no previous construction experience climbs ladders, picks up power tools, and jumps into action. Thanks brother!

Gramp’s other favorite phrases over the weekend that didn’t involve pxxp were “watch the nails” “boy they didn’t spare the nails” and “don’t step a on nail”  We are proud to report that no Teffts were injured during demo of the school house.

Ben, Myself, Gramp, and Luke

Up Next
We’re continuing to weatherize for winter and plan to leave it at that until spring. In the next post I’ll share a bit more about the transformation we have planned for Gramp’s Old School (to do lists, research etc….).